Tag: Mike Florio

The New York Jets are arguably the most talked about team in the NFL heading into the 2010 season. Without argument being necessary, they have talked more than any team in the NFL heading into the 2010 season. Rex Ryan is a brash and confident individual, who hasn’t toned down his personality since becoming a head coach and his mentality has trickled down to the entire organization to an extent.

The result is that you either love him or hate him, along with either loving or hating the 2010 Jets. Fans obviously admire the swagger and confidence brought to an organization desperately in need of it, while other players or coaches have praised his approach. Defending Super Bowl champion head coach, Sean Payton, has repeatedly complimented the mentality Ryan has brought to the Jets and how he runs his team. Adam Schefter reported players were texting their agents how badly they wanted to play for Rex Ryan after watching Hard Knocks.

However, Rex Ryan and the Jets have brought out a particular vitriolic hate out of some individuals heading into the season. You can already picture them huddled around the TV screen tomorrow, anxiously waiting for the Giants to get a first down on the Jets defense so they could get out of a few nasty comments on Rex Ryan and the overrated, overhyped Jets. You can allow these haters to get under your skin or you can realize Rex and the Jets are having a good time, and they’re just trying to ruin it. Sit back and enjoy your 2010 New York Jets because they are going to be good and they aren’t going to be shy about letting you know it. However, here is a guide to those who will be stammering and twisting their face with each Jets victory this year:

Mike Francesa – The iconic radio personality from WFAN can’t stand Rex Ryan and really since Bill Parcells left, can’t stand the New York Jets. Francesa has been particularly vicious with the Jets lately because nobody from their organization will go on his show after he spent all of December and January ripping them apart, despite their playoff run. He also nearly fell out of his chair after watching the first episode of Hard Knocks. Francesa tore into the “classless” Jets and their “bumbling” head coach, while Giants fans called in so they could all shake their heads in shame together and wonder why the Jets couldn’t be more dignified like the New York Giants. How could Rex Ryan curse like that? How could he? You would think the guy was beating up small children on national television, instead of using expletives when talking to his football team at 10 PM on premium cable. Clearly, no other coaches have ever cursed in NFL history.

Francesa will find any possible way to avoid giving the Jets credit when they win football games. He has completely sided with Darrelle Revis in his contract dispute and is calling the New Meadowlands “Giants Stadium 2.” If the Jets start the season 6-0, Francesa will attribute it to luck. Remember he knows more about football than Rex Ryan, regardless of how good the Jets defense in in 2010.

New York Giants Fans – A quick aside for Giants fans, stop calling into the local radio shows and acting like the best teams in your history weren’t led by a linebacker fueled by cocaine and hookers. The word “classless” is thrown around so easily as a shot at Ryan and the Jets it is ridiculous. The Jets don’t have to take the same approach as the Giants to football. You can hate on Rex Ryan all you want but his team didn’t quit on him the final two games of the regular season last year. Worry about your own team. I am aware your organization has a much better history and has won substantially more, yet at this moment the Jets are a better team and deserve more headlines.

Mike Florio – Every other article Florio has written this off-season has been about the Jets. Mike Tannenbaum is on the hot seat. Rex Ryan is overweight. LaDainian Tomlinson is washed up. Braylon Edwards is a jerk and can’t catch. Mark Sanchez isn’t going to be a good quarterback in the NFL. Joe Namath shouldn’t be in the hall of fame. Darrelle Revis is right in his contract dispute. New York smells bad (yes he wrote an article deriding the smell of the city as part of the news on his site). The Jets won’t go back to the playoffs in 2010. NBC, I’m in the same company. Give me a commercial during Sunday Night Football in a fancy suit in front of a laptop on a cell phone, like you did for Florio. I can call people names and pick on the teams I don’t like, while passing it off as news. I promise I will never report that Terry Bradshaw died when he didn’t and won’t use the same stale jokes referencing The Office and Seinfeld.

Armando Salguero – Dolphins beat writer who constantly wags his finger at the Jets for lacking class, neglecting the parade of Dolphins who have recently been arrested and the way GM Jeff Ireland conducts business.

Message Board/Website Trolls – I always love hearing from the Dolphins and Patriots fans who take the time to visit the Jets ESPN Message Board to express their displeasure with the team. I also thoroughly enjoy the derogatory comments they leave for me here at TOJ, which I have the ability to erase since I do run the site and all. So please, keep visiting the site, giving me hits, taking the time to curse me out and calling me elaborate slurs (greasy Jets loving meatball was my favorite)…we appreciate the support. Also, keep waking up in the morning and saying “man Rex Ryan makes me so mad, I am going on the Jets message board instead of my own team’s to talk about how much I hate him. That will show those Jets fans.”

Easy responses to common Jets bashing

“Rex Ryan is a bumbling idiot” – He is a head coach in the NFL, what do you do?

“Mark Sanchez is terrible” – He won two playoff games his rookie year, how many playoff games did your quarterback win his rookie year?

“Their defense isn’t elite” – It was ranked number one in the NFL last year, hence it is elite.

1. A friendly reminder that comments from people who never had a comment go through before the past week are locked in pending. The ones you see going through are from people who had posted before that. Until the Fanball technical crew fixes this, I will transcribe your comments myself under my name but with a POST FROM ___ above, as you can see in our recent articles. Keep the comments coming and keep the conversation going, and for god’s sake follow Turn On The Jets on Facebook and Twitter (TurnOnTheJets).

How To Spot Bandwagon Jets Fans

Who would have thought the New York Jets…the ugly stepchild of New York football would ever have bandwagon fans? Well it is starting to happen, as the Jets have climbed into relevancy thanks to a run to the AFC Championship Game, a collection of flashy trades/free agent signings/ draft picks, the most entertaining coach in professional sports, and now a spot on HBO’s Hard Knocks. How can you separate these fans who just decided to come along for the party now, without paying their dues of suffering and misery. TOJ has the guide:

– They are wearing either a Brett Favre or LaDainian Tomlinson jersey – First off, if you expected Favre to be on the Jets for more than one year, you were out of your mind and wasted your money on a jersey. Second, anybody wearing the Favre jersey likely hopped on in 2008 because “I’ve always loved Favre man” or because they thought he would carry the Jets to a Super Bowl…guess again, he flamed out in December. This is the Jets we are talking about and again this is Brett Favre we are talking about, who has now made a career of melting down in big spots. Tomlinson jerseys? Really? You really think he is going to be on the team for more than 1 season? A smarter investment would have been any other of the Jets new acquisitions or maybe their starting running back who is entering his second season in the NFL. Hey, at least you didn’t get a tattoo of “LT” on your calf or anything.

– They think Mark Sanchez is awesome – Look, I am as excited about Sanchez’s potential as the next fan and loved the way he played in the playoffs but you can’t be walking around going “bro, Sanchez is awesome.” I am sorry but if you watched the Jets last year, you know Sanchez threw 8 more interceptions than TDs and still has to prove himself as a franchise quarterback or anything near “awesome.” If you are talking about the caliber of women Sanchez dates…then yes he is “awesome.”

– They don’t know who Sione Pouha, Mike DeVito, or Brandon Moore are – If you start talking about any of these guys and a “Jets fan” tells you they don’t know who you are talking about, then you have spotted one. Or, if you are watching a game and one of the three does something or gets mentioned, and you get a “who the hell is that, anyway?” you found one. Sione Pouha started every game after week 6 last season and was terrific at nose tackle. Mike DeVito is going to be a starter this year and played a ton last season. Brandon Moore is one of the best guards in the NFL. He was better than Alan Faneca last season.

– They cheer against the Jets on a particular play because somebody on their fantasy roster made a big play – Sorry guy, I don’t care how much you paid to get into your fantasy league, you don’t cheer when Maurice Jones-Drew rumbles in for a touchdown against the Jets defense. You don’t cheer when anybody scores or makes a big play against the Jets defense. You don’t cheer when Sanchez throws an interception. You don’t cheer when Nick Folk shanks a 28 yard field goal because the kid you are playing is starting him at kicker.

– They agree with anything Mike Francesa or Mike Florio says about the Jets – Two chronic Jets haters who always go out of their way to find a negative angle about the team and take a shot at Rex Ryan (Francesa) or Mike Tannenbaum (Florio). Francesa is just bitter and likes to bother people because it is entertaining radio and I think Florio was beaten up for his lunch money by Jets fans when he was a kid.

– They don’t think Jerricho Cotchery is a good receiver – If you have actually watched every Jets game since 2006, you would never say something like “thank god, they got Holmes, Cotchery can’t handle being a starting receiver.” Actually, yes he can and he was handling being a number one receiver just fine before the Braylon trade last year. I admit he is a better fit as a #2 but anybody who thinks he isn’t a more than capable starter just hasn’t watched him play.

– They own a Giants jersey – Should I have to say anything? You can get jerseys from other teams, if you were younger and just wanted to get all the best players at the position you played but those other teams can’t include the Giants, Dolphins, Patriots, or Bills. I remember back in 8th grade, I had a sweet Issac Bruce Rams jersey because I was a monster on those recreation football fields at receiver. Of course, I also had a Chrebet and Keyshawn Johnson jersey but there was nothing wrong with wearing the ‘Ike back in the day. However, once you are over 16 you should be committing money to only your favorite team. I remember my one friend had a Kevin Johnson Browns jersey in high school. Yes, it was cool and rare at the time but where is that jersey now?

1. I have been a daily reader of the website Pro Football Talk, despite their consistent anti-Jets bias from lead writer Mike Florio. In my mind, I thought it would be a little silly/immature to completely ignore a decent source of information because the guy who runs it just hates my team. So I dealt with the constant writing that criticized Jets players, coaches, owner, or GM and held them to a different standard than the other 31 teams in the NFL. However, as eloquently expressed by Brian Bassett here (http://www.thejetsblog.com/2010/03/22/mike-florio-hurrying-to-become-next-perez-hilton/) I will also be done with PFT for the foreseeable future. Yes, I am aware not linking them or referencing them does nothing to the massive amounts of hits they receive on a daily basis but based on the principle of it, TOJ is going PFT free.

What triggered this decision? If you didn’t read the above link from The Jets Blog, Florio has decided to run his website like TMZ and a not a source of NFL News, and wrote an unnecessary article criticizing Rex Ryan for his recent lap-band surgery and questioning how he could expect to discipline a team, when he couldn’t discipline himself. After being ripped apart in the comment section of the article, he followed up with one of the weakest, insincere, and incoherent apologies ever typed in which he talked about being a chubby teenager for some reason. Now you might say, wait a minute…didn’t you just write an article about the Jets on Hard Knocks which joked around about Rex Ryan’s weight? Yes, I did spend three sentences on it but it was prefaced by a disclaimer saying it was clearly a joke and I obviously wished for Ryan to become as healthy as possible as quickly as possible. Beyond that, I thrown Ryan so many compliments on this site it should be illegal because I love the big guy and what he has brought to the Jets.

Overall, I am done with PFT because there are plenty of other superior sources of information out there to read without having to deal with Florio’s weekly line of BS on why Mike Tannenbaum should be fired, why Mark Sanchez is terrible, why every move the Jets make is stupid, and so on. I don’t know if a Jets fan beat Florio up and took his lunch money when he was a chubby teenager or the people from Sprint that force him to promote them every 10 updates on the site are Patriots or Dolphins fans but clearly he has some unresolved issues with the Green and White.

2. The Jets have been showing interest in Illinois receiver Arrelious Benn, who could fall to them at #29 in the first round of the draft. Most people seem to think the Jets are going defensive line or receiver in the first round, and if they do Benn could be a nice fit this season as a #3 receiver.

3. The league was expected to announce the match-ups for certain games today, including the Jets opening Monday Night game and their Thanksgiving night game but it looks like it will be pushed back until tomorrow. I will stick with my guess that they play Miami in week one and the Ravens on Thanksgiving.

4. Three Miami Dolphins arrested in the six weeks? They are turning into the NFL’s version of the Portland Trailblazers. I thought Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells were all about assembling a disciplined, high-character team?

5. The Depth Chart and 2010 Draft Section of the site have been updated.

6. Follow Turn On The Jets on facebook…because we are only 69 fans away from 300.

7. I think the recent signing of linebacker/special teamer Lance Laury was quietly a very smart move by the Jets. They were getting thin on special teams players with the departure of Wallace Wright, Larry Izzo, and Marques Murrell. Laury has been a productive special teams player the past four years and was good enough to be a captain of the unit for Seattle.

Looking Over The Jets Receivers & A Word On Pro Football Talk

Similar to the secondary, which has already seen a few departures and a couple of new additions, the Jets receiving core is frequently talked about as an area of the team that needs improvement. Despite my disagreement about how much they actually need a receiver (as in they don’t need to spend a first round pick on one, unless they are in position to really steal somebody at #29), here is an article looking at what the Jets currently have on their roster and who they could look to add:

Braylon Edwards – Most people look his 2009 stats with the Jets (35 catches, 541 yards, 4 touchdowns in 12 regular season games) and are down on Edwards potential to be the Jets #1 receiver. Yes, he did some have bad drops and was inconsistent at times. However, he also did show his big play potential and clearly has the skill set to be a legit #1 target. I want to see how Edwards produces with a full off-season under his belt with the Jets offense and an improved Mark Sanchez behind center. There is no reason he can’t be a 1,100 yard, 8 touchdown guy for this team next season.

Jerricho Cotchery – Underrated and under-appreciated, all Cotchery does is catch everything thrown to him and routinely come up with huge plays on third downs. He would have easily been a 1,000 yard receiver last year if he didn’t miss nearly three full games with an injury. Cotchery showed his value in the playoffs, when he stepped up as Sanchez’s go to guy in a big spot in all three games. It is easy to look at 6 receptions for 67 yards against the Bengals or 3 catches for 25 yards against the Chargers and forget how big those specific catches he made were.

Brad Smith – He isn’t really a true receiver but is instead more of a gadget player. Smith only caught 7 passes for 63 yards last year but racked up over 200 yards of rushing and continued to be a very good special teams player. Ideally, he would be the Jets #4 receiver who has his own package of plays to take advantage of his speed and versatility.

David Clowney – Clowney got everybody excited with a monster pre-season but never turned into the consistent deep threat the team hoped he would be. To be fair, he didn’t receive a ton of chances and did make some big plays (a 53 yard catch on Monday night against Miami and a 35 yard touchdown against the Raiders) but overall he will likely be battling for a roster spot as the Jets #5 receiver this year. Clowney’s value is hurt by the fact that he doesn’t contribute on special teams.

Danny Woodhead – He is a running back/receiver and I would guess with the acquisition of LaDainian Tomlinson will keep the #83 and stay at receiver. It will be difficult for Woodhead to stay on the active roster this year if all the Jets running backs stay healthy because I don’t think he has the skill set to be a full time receiver in the NFL and he hasn’t shown much on special teams.

Britt Davis – The Jets coaching staff was high on him during training camp last year but he never really flashed in the pre-season and began to struggle with drops. Davis has good size (6’3, 205 pounds) and could be a sleeper to steal a roster spot this year.

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There is still talk about the Jets acquiring Brandon Marshall because of their lack of faith in Edwards as a legit number one target. I don’t think the deal is going to happen because another team (most likely Seattle) will offer Denver more than the Jets will want to. Regardless, it seems likely the Jets are going to draft a receiver in round 1 or 2 to fill the #3 receiver/slot guy spot on their depth chart since there currently is a hole there. Laveranues Coles also remains an option to fill that hole. Personally, I would like to see the Jets sign Coles and then spend a later round pick on a receiver to develop behind the veterans Edwards, Cotchery, and Coles. A depth chart of Edwards, Cotchery, Coles, 4th/5thround draft, and Brad Smith would look pretty good to me.

1. Feeling pretty good about the Yankees right now, up 6-2 in the 7th inning with CC rolling. How about the captain with that 2 run home run to tie the game up before? The Yanks are making my time between Jets game go much quicker.

2. Mark Sanchez was fined $5,000 for his hit on Jonathan Vilma. He called to apologize about the hit and VIlma made amends with him. I am sure the rookie learned his lesson and won’t be getting called for a personal foul anytime soon.

3. The Dolphins have been carrying on with the endless amounts of trash talk this week. Today something came out about Channing Crowder hating Leon Washington and saying he is going to curse out Mark Sanchez, which of course begs the question…who is Channing Crowder and does anybody care about what he has to say? The Dolphins are 1-3…1-3. They need to worry about winning some games instead of talking like they are some type of contender this season.

4. Site updates…I have updated the depth chart, reflecting the trade. Tomorrow I will write my normal Wednesday article about the key individual match-ups for the Jets/Dolphins game…Friday I will write my excessively comprehensive game breakdown AND post episode V of TOJ TV, which I know everybody is waiting on. Saturday, I will be grading out the Jets/projecting their stats through the first quarter of the season. Sunday, I will be watching football and tracking my horrible fantasy team. Monday, I will be writing on the Jets recent domination of their rivalrywith Miami, including some great video footage. Set your schedules accordingly

More on Braylon & New York Jets: Hi Hater

Wrapping up the Deal: The terms of the deal have been confirmed as Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik, a conditional third round pick and a fifth round pick. Only if Edwards has an inordinate amount of catches this season, could the third rounder be bumped up to a second rounder. It appears that the Jets will likely be without their 3rd, 4th (Lito Sheppard trade), and 5th round pick in the 2010 draft. Mike Tannenbaum said there are no immediate plans to restructure Edwards’ contract. It will depend on the Collective Bargaining Agreement whether Edwards is a restricted or unrestricted free agent (similar to Leon Washington) after the season. Obviously his on field production and off the field behavior the rest of the season will determine how the Jets handle his contract this off-season, though an eventual long term deal makes sense since they sacrificed two draft picks for him.

Minor League: Final condolences to Chansi Stuckey and Jason Trusnik who are now joining the Jets AAA affiliate in Cleveland. I heard a rumor the Browns will soon be trading Joe Thomas, Shaun Rogers, and Josh Cribbs for Wayne Hunter, Mike DeVito, Wallace Wright, and Drew Coleman. How about nine former Jets currently on the Browns active roster? I always liked Stuckey but the guy is built to be a #3 receiver, while Edwards is built to be a legit #1. Trusnik is a very good special teams player with a history of injuries.

Press Conferences: Ryan sounded confident in his ability to handle Edwards, who he believes will fit right in with the rest of the team. He said Edwards “better be ready to go” as a starter this Monday night because that is what the Jets brought him in for. He also talked about his firsthand knowledge of the difficulty to cover Edwards and how he is confident the acquisition will open up the Jets offense. He didn’t offer any tantalizing soundbites on the Jets/Dolphins game but joked that Channing Crowder could find him Monday night in a white #77 jersey. Ryan also confirmed what Mike Tannenbaum said about the Jets doing a thorough background check and being confident that Edwards will stay out of legal trouble the rest of the year. I would imagine that any legal problems involving Edwards and LeBron’s entourage would result in a suspension in 2010, not this season.

Edwards press conference didn’t offer anything too noteworthy. He repeatedly expressed how excited he was to be in New York (obviously) and how the constant losing in Cleveland was beginning to wear on him. Edwards said he is comfortable with the guys in the Jets locker room, who welcomed him with some jokes about the suit he was wearing. He also discussed his excitement about working with Mark Sanchez and his belief that Jerricho Cotchery and himself could compliment each other. Interestingly enough, he even mentioned looking forward to contributing to the running game by adding some down field blocking for Thomas Jones. Edwards didn’t discuss his off the field troubles but instead talked about his desire to change the perception of himself, and the positive off the field work he has done in his career.

Hi Hater: You have to love the hate from president of the New England Patriots fan club aka Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who will find anyway to demean the Jets for this move, where if it was another team they would be praised for making a bold decision. I love how PFT writes a story about Derek Anderson being thrilled with Edwards leaving, like it is supposed to concern Jets fans. Derek Anderson? The guy has been straight awful since his 2007 season, does anybody care about his opinion? He started out the year backing up Brady Quinn, which should show how talented he is. Also, I loved reading the Patriots and especially the Dolphins fans criticizing the moves on the ESPN message boards for the Jets. You want to hear something funny? Ted Ginn Jr has 4 career touchdown receptions…that means Braylon Edwards had 4 times as many touchdown receptions in his 2007 season than Ginn does for his whole career. You can hear the insecurity and nervousness from the Pats and Dolphins fans as the Jets clearly established themselves as the team to beat in the AFC East with this move. Yes, I just said as of right now the Jets are the team to beat in the AFC East. Not Miami, who will promptly be put in their place (TOJ TV spoiler alert) as a 4-12 team by the Jets this Monday Night and not New England, who already lost to the Jets and only has three wins because of Leodis McKlevin’s charity and insanely terrible officiating/Mark Clayton’s dropped pass in the Ravens game.

3. There has been some talk about ESPN’s Adam Schefter’s twitters about Vernon Gholston, claiming he struggled in OTAs. First off, it is OTA’s…how much can a pass rusher struggle in practice without pads? Second, I will take the word of the Jets beat writers who were at every available practice and said Gholston had a decent mini-camp/OTA’s over Schefter who was probably at one practice.

Jets Positional Analysis: Cornerbacks

Over the next 6 weeks, I am going to go through all of the Jets positions and assess each player, continuing today with the cornerbacks:

History: Revis was the Jets first round pick in 2007 and instantly made them look smart for drafting him. After an impressive rookie campaign, Revis took his game to the next level last year by becoming a pro-bowl player. He made his share of big plays in the limited number of balls thrown his way and consistently matched-up with the other team’s best receiver, predominantly with good results.

Chance of Making Roster: 100%

Best Case Scenario for 2009: Revis keeps getting better and becomes an all-pro player. He proves to be a lock down corner in his battles against Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Lee Evans, Andre Johnson, and Steve Smith. Revis also continues to make big plays, matching or exceeding his interception total from the previous year.

Worst Case Scenario for 2009: Revis struggles against his high level of competition this season, keeping the Jets pass defense vulnerableor he suffers an injury.

Prediction: Revisis a great player and I don’t see him regressing from last season. I think his numbers will be comparable to last year, if not slightly higher and he will hold his own against the top flight receivers he faces this year.

History: Sheppard was a pro-bowl corner for the Eagles in both 2004 and 2006, showing a knack for making big plays and being able to match-up with big time receivers. However, he has struggled with injuries the previous two years and was moved to nickel back last season when Philly signed Asante Samuel. The Jets are hoping Sheppard can rejuvenate his career in New York and provide a stable player opposite Darrelle Revis.

Chance of Making Roster: 100%

Best Case Scenario for 2009: Sheppard returns to his 2006 form and is able to handle the high amount of balls thrown his way, giving the Jets one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL.

Worst Case Scenario for 2009: Sheppard struggles with injuries and inconsistent play again, leaving the Jets vulnerable on the other side of Revis.

Prediction: I can’t lie, I am worried about Sheppard. I think when he is on the field he will be able to hold his own and be an upgrade from what they had last year but I think you will see him miss a few games with injury and struggle a little bit early season when offenses are constantly coming after him.

History: Strickland is a 7 year veteran who has been a solid nickelback the past couple of seasons for the 49ers. The Jets signed him to provide some competition with Dwight Lowery for the nickel spot and to provide some more experience to the secondary.

Chance of Making Roster: 90%

Best Case Scenario for 2009: Strickland provides the Jets good depth and plays well in the nickel packages. He is also able to step in and do an adequate job if Sheppard or Revis goes down for a few weeks.

Wost Case Scenario for 2009: Strickland struggles in training camp and is buried on the depth chart or eventually cut.

Prediction: I think Strickland and Dwight Lowery will be splitting the nickelback role based on certain situations or match-ups. Based on his career, you can’t expect many big plays from Strickland but if he could be an upgrade from Drew Coleman in the slot last season it will improve the Jets pass defense.

History: Lowery was the Jets fourth round pick last season and managed to be their starting cornerback by week one. He began the season strongly but started to struggle around the middle of the year and was replaced in the starting line-up by mid-season acquisition Ty Law. Lowery showed a great nose for the ball however with 5 forced fumbles and 16 passes defense. Despite lacking top end speed, he showed a good deal of potential last season.

Chance of Making Roster: 90%

Best Case Scenario for 2009: Lowery improves from last season and develops into a very good nickel back for the Jets and somebody who can eventually take over for Lito Sheppard. He continues to force turnovers.

Worst Case Scenario for 2009: He regresses from last year and struggles to adjust to Rex Ryan’s new scheme. Lowery turns into nothing more than a special teams player, after starting for the first half of his rookie season.

Prediction: Ryan will find a role for Lowery on defense as a #3/#4 corner and maybe an extra safety in a few sets. He will also be a valuable core special teams player.

History: Coleman was the Jets 6th round pick in 2006 and actually developed into a starter mid-way through the season. However, he eventually lost the job and had his role diminished in 2007. He was only active for 9 games last season but the games he did play in, he was usually the Jets nickelback. Unfortunately, he made a habit of getting beat like a drum in the slot especially against the Bills and 49ers.

Chance of Making Roster: 40-50%

Best Case Scenario for 2009: Coleman becomes a valuable reserve and plays in some of the Jets dime packages. He remains a quality special teams player.

Worst Case Scenario for 2009: He struggles in training camp and is cut before the year starts…and is obviously signed by Eric Mangini a day later.

Prediction: Unless the Jets keep 6 corners, it will be hard for Coleman to make the roster.

6. Ahmad Carroll #31, Last Season: 20 tackles, 2 forced fumbles

History: A former first round pick, who has struggled in NFL. The Jets took a shot on him last year and he turned into a very good special teams player for them. He was re-signed this year to continue in that role, with some hope that Rex Ryan can find some use for him at either corner or safety.

Chance of Making Roster: 50-60%

Best Case Scenario for 2009: He remains a very good special teams player and contributes as a backup corner/safety combo.

Worst Case Scenario for 2009: He is cut before the season begins.

Prediction: I think Carroll will make the roster, remain a core special teams player and develop into good backup safety/corner for the Jets. He has the talent to be a defensive player in this league.

The Rest of the Guys

7. Marquice Cole #34 – A UDFA who bounced around the league last season…extra body for training camp.

8. Rashad Barksdale #35 – See above, although he has good size (6’5, 208 lbs).

Overall Position Analysis: Revis is a top flight corner in the NFL, Sheppard will start opposite him with Lowery and Strickland as the top backups battling for reps. Carroll should make the team because of his special teams ability and potential. Coleman is probably the odd man out, unless the Jets keep 6 CBs.